Blondie on a Budget (1940)

By the time the Blondie series got to its fifth installment, Columbia most have realized that they were on a winning streak, and started to pour some more resources into the films, at the same time trying to to bring the films out as quickly as possible. Blondie On a Budget seems to have had a higher budget than its predecessors. There are more scenes filmed outside the confines of the Bumstead home and the Dithers office, with movie theater and department store sets, and scenes filmed on location, or at least outdoor sets. Rita Hayworth, who was a quickly rising star in Columbia’s stable at the time, is cast as Joan, an old girlfriend of Dagwood’s, who reappears as a representative of an important business client.

Hayworth looks stunning in every frame she appears in, and seems to relish her turn in a light comedic role. Wanting to appear as the ideal wife, Blondie encourages Dagwood to join an expensive fishing club. Joan drives him, and a car break down followed by a series of mishaps has the two seen together all around town. Meanwhile, Blondie over-reacts as Baby Dumpling gets his first wiggly tooth. When word gets back to Blondie that he has been running around town with Joan, she is set to leave Dagwood once and for all and buys bus tickets to Reno, when everything turns out alright in the final moments.